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Monday, April 15, 2013

Blog the Change 4 Animals

I'm innocent! I didn't shoot no one!

We animals need a lobby. A strong lobby. Apparently the ASPCA and Humane Society don't know how to lobby or should I say, don't have the funds to lobby effectively. I'll tell you what I'm talking about.

Since the end of last year, three people I know on the Interwebs have been told to give up their beloved family members because of landlords and laws. One heartbroken woman gave her babies to a shelter and saw them get adopted by someone else before she could get them back. Another moved. Still another is a rebel and after trying to no avail to re-home them, kept them and is hoping not to get caught.

Click on image to biggify.

You see it more and more: states, towns and landlords making arbitrary rules about the number of cats/pets one may have. In our own complex, they passed a rule several years back that owners were allowed no more than 3 pets. The number of pets one owns should be a common-sense thing. If you live in a small apartment like we do, you obviously should think of the pets and not have a hunnert living there but it you live in or rent a big spacious house, you should be able to keep as many as you can reasonably take care of. We're not talking eccentric cat ladies here. Those hoarders may have the cats' well being in mind when they take dozens in off the street; but, ultimately, the poor animals suffer neglect and ill-health since the hoarder can't afford vet bills. They also live in deplorable conditions because cats are fastidious animals who aren't accustomed to living among their filth.

Now contrast that to, oh let's say guns. I'm sure those same landlords don't have the same rules about how many guns one can own or bring into the house. Animals are regulated; guns aren't. Let's think for a minute: what causes more damage to homes and property? Cats or guns. That seems to me like an easy one but it's not so easy for lawmakers since someone with a gun can kill them if they vote the wrong way but they can handle most cats (see picture below).

Why is it so hard to pass laws making background checks mandatory to own a firearm? My peeps have gotten 2 of their cats from shelters—including myself—and they've have to fill out forms and get background checks for each of us. In fact, they originally had TW's name mixed up with a similar name and they weren't going to let her adopt me. Some shelters will even visit your home a few weeks after an adoption to see that the pet is being properly cared for.

While the current gun legislation on the Senate floor is weak, it may have prevented many of the massacres of recent years. The legislation to require background checks at gun shows and denying guns to the mentally ill may have prevented at least a couple of the recent slaughters. It might have stopped the massacre at the midnight showing of the newest Batman movie in Aurora, CO. A University of Colorado psychiatrist told the university's behavioral threat assessment team about him. Of course, they sat on their asses[sments] and did nothing. The gunman at Virginia Tech was already ruled mentally unfit, but the state somehow interpreted the rules to mean he had to have been committed to a hospital and he was allowed to purchase. A man who killed his family in Wisconsin would have been barred from purchasing online because of a domestic violence arrest and who can forget Colombine, where the two teenagers would now be too young.

According to the Huffington Post, at least 3300 people have been murdered by guns since Newtown. How many humans have cats murdered? For that matter, have many have pit bulls murdered? Don't even get me started on BSLs (Breed Specific Laws).

We at Blogpaws and BtC4A need to form a lobby. Where does the NRA get its big bucks? From gun and ammo makers. We need to tap the bigs in the pet industries, who make billions off animals to help finance our lobby. We need famous spokespeople, who are willing to speak out as well as help financially. We need famous Cats of the World, such as Morris from 9 Lives and Grumpy Cat to do PSAs. Our lobby will also force laws to clean up shelters, abolish animal testing and take a no tolerance stand on so-called shelters that euthanize animals. We have to make this happen or we're going to see more restrictive laws telling us how many animals we may have and what breeds they should be. We. Can. Do. This.

29 comments:

CK If you never wrote another blog post you could go away happy with this. I had NO IDEA how lax legislation was. The idea of guns terrifies me - most people should not have them. Why America has so many is just insane (sorry I speak as a non-US citizen with non US views).

Great message, CK! Although I am not officially Blogging the Change for Animals today (I have been wrapped up in the AmazeCats bracket voting today!), I AM doing something on my blog today to BE the change - the post goes live a little after 10 AM your time. Paws up!

You make such an excellent point CK... I borrow my dad's truck to take my daughter to school in the mornings and the radio is always on FOX News. Sometimes I turn it down and sometimes I start listening to it and it sucks me in. Some of the things on there just make me shake my head... There are a lot of things that are backwards around here these days.

I yhink the landlords that do things like that are pure evil, especially when the pets were approved in advance. We have a friend who is going through that right now. The lease permitted dogs, but since she has a pitbull she is being evicted.

Oh CK - leave it up to you to put your own special spin on Blog the Change Day. And who should we send to Washington to represent the Cat Lobby? A certain gray and white ghetto kitty from the streets, purrhaps?

EXCELLENT article CK! Just EXCELLENT! You hit the nail right on the head on every point. When it comes to gun control and usage, I'm embarrassed to say I live in the US. WI now has the open carry law, which means if you take your children to a local park, people can carry their weapons and do what they want. It's especially bad when some sort of fest is happening in the park. Where there is a fest or pawty, there is drinking. Drinking and guns don't mix in my book. I'm happy I am the age I am and probably won't be around for too many more years as I don't like the path we're taking anymore. It's almost to the point where I'm afraid to go to the store for fear someone will open fire!

Wonderful and important post! I love the idea of getting big pet business to help lobby against BSL. And as for gun control, the simple fact is that in countries where access to guns is better regulated there are far fewer gun homicides. Period. No question, there will always be crazies and there will sometimes be tragedies. But instead of focusing on how a few will do what they do in spite of the laws, how about thinking of how many will actually be prevented or deterred from acting on their sickness?

Preach it, girl! MomKatt & I are shocked and revolted at the pics on the 'Net of cats with guns - like it's supposed to be "funny" we suppose. But it's NOT. If cats were given a choice, I don't think they'd touch one of those things with a ten-foot teaser wand. It's sad - what's WRONG with background checks? NOTHING if you're an honest person - but no, saving another's life is less important to these idiots than them getting their gun RIGHT THEN AND THERE. THEY DON'T WANT TO WAIT.

Preaching to the choir today...I'm in Florida, the"Right to Shoot" state...I'm weird cause I don't/won't have a gun...Groups like HSUS are too busy paying execs outrageous salaries to use their funds for anything productive...

I am totally with you CK. Though gun laws are very strict in the UK, thankfully, but a lunatic who wants to get hold of one can always find a way!! :( Mum was also given the third degree before she could adopt me and she didn't mind at all cos I am worth it :) love Austin xox

Cathy Keisha, we agree with you 110%. Our Mama has to pay an extra $20 per month for Ateret, and if they knew about Abbi and me, it'd be another $40 a month. We need to put our paws down and mew loudly to stop people from interfering from our happy home life! BIG PURRS from Livia.

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